The Stuff of Thanksgiving

I can't imaging Thanksgiving without stuffing. This year my sister-in-law, Julie (yes, we have our very own chef Julie!) made an outstanding sausage stuffing. Knowing she was bringing that for Thanksgiving day, I explored the possibilities of a cornbread stuffing because everyone in our family loves cornbread. This is a basic recipe, but there are endless variations of this basic stuffing – consider using chopped marinated artichoke hearts or marinated mushrooms or re-hydrated shitake mushrooms, or... well – you get it.

Cornbread Stuffing
1 recipe Cheddar Cornbread (below) – about 8 cups

1 red pepper, diced
2 onions, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ lb Linguica, Chorizo or Andoille sausage, finely diced
3 fresh corn cobs, kernels removed

2 eggs
½ cup heavy cream
3 cups chicken broth
¼ cup parsley, minced
2 tbsp sundried tomatoes, minced

Preheat oven to 375. Cut cornbread into ½-inch cubes. Toast cubes in a 350-degree oven for about 10-15 minutes, or until edges begin to brown – toss once or twice. Meanwhile, sauté onion and pepper in a bit of olive oil until beginning to soften, about 5-8 minutes. Add garlic and cook another 2 minutes. Add sausage heat through.

Whisk together eggs, cream, broth, parsley, cilantro and tomatoes. Toss cornbread with sausage mixture, and corn and tip into a large greased 10x15-inch pan. Pour egg mixture evenly over stuffing. Bake 30 min covered, 20-30 min uncovered.

Cheddar Corn Bread
Dry Ingredients:
3 cups flour
¾ cup cornmeal
¼ cup coarse cornmeal
½ cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp baking powder
2 tsp Kosher salt
1 tsp red pepper flakes
½ tsp dried dill weed

Wet ingredients:
3 eggs
2 cups milk
2 sticks butter, melted

2 cups grated Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Mix dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Pour wet mixture into dry and fold just to mix – do not worry about few dry lumps. Pour into a greased 13x9 pan. Bake 30-40 minutes, until top is browned and toothpick comes out clean.

Thai Tofu Curry

You can substitute your favorite veggies in this dish.

1 brick extra firm tofu, dried and cubed
1 red pepper, diced
1 yellow pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
handful green beans, chopped
4 cloves garlic
½ inch fresh ginger, minced
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 can coconut milk
2 Tbsp red Thai curry paste

In a large non-stick skillet, brown tofu in a bit of canola oil until well browned. Set aside in a bowl. In same skillet, sauté the peppers, onions and green beans until softened and beginning to caramelize. Add the garlic, ginger and red pepper and continue cooking another 2-3 minutes, until very fragrant. Return the tofu to the vegetables and add the coconut milk and curry paste. Stir to mix and cook until heated through.

Unctious Shrimp and Scallops

Shrimp go so well with other seafood such as scallops and calamari, and pair very well with vegetables of all sorts. Here are a few examples of unctious mixes of shrimp with delicious other partners.

Don't forget to extract all the flavors you can from the shells - they really add a lot to a broth or sauce - just boil the shells in a bit of water and use in place of broth.

Shrimp and Scallop Risotto with Asparagus
1 cup Arborio Italian short-grained rice
1 cup white wine
3-4 cups chicken stock
½ lb shrimp, shelled, cut in half (reserve shells)
1½ cup water
½ lb. bay scallops
1 bunch asparagus
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
½ stick butter, sliced

In a small saucepan, bring shrimp shells to a boil in water. Reduce heat. Simmer until reduced in half. Strain broth.

Meanwhile, sauté rice in a large skillet with a bit of olive oil until all grains are coated will and rice begins to turn white from translucent. Add half the wine and continue stirring until wine is absorbed. Repeat with remaining wine, and then the broth. Continue the same liquid additions and stirring until thick and creamy with remaining ½ cup portions of broth stirring the rice continuously, until the rice is just al dente – use only as much stock as is necessary.

Cut last inch off of base of asparagus and cut stalks into thirds. asparagus and simmer until asparagus is just tender, about 2 minutes. Add shrimp and scallops along with butter and cheese. Continue cooking until all butter is incorporated and risotto is creamy. Adjust thickness with broth or cream.

Serves 4.


Shrimp Etouffée1 lb. large shrimp, shelled with shells reserved
2 cups water
1 small bay leaf
1 large onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ lb. Andouille or Linguica sausage, diced
2 Tbsp. sundried tomatoes
¼ cup flour
¼ cup canola oil
¼ tsp. dried thyme
¼ tsp. dried Italian herbs
¼ tsp. red cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp. powdered white pepper

Mix shrimp shells with water and bay leaf in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer while proceeding with the rest of the dish.

Sauté onion, pepper and celery in a bit of canola oil until vegetables soften and begin to caramelize, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, sausage and tomatoes. Continue cooking over low heat.

In a separate saucepan cook the flour in the oil until fragrant, about 3-4 minutes, to make a roux. Strain shells from broth and make broth up to 1½ cups if necessary with clam juice, chicken broth, or water. Add most of the broth to the roux whisking continuously, until smooth. Continue cooking over high heat until sauce thickens, adding broth as necessary to achieve a desirable thickness. Add herbs, mixing well. Toss vegetables and shrimp into sauce. Bring back to a simmer and cook until the shrimp are just pink. Serve over Rice.

Serves 4.

Shrimp Asparagus and Artichoke with Linguine1 lb shrimp, shelled
1 bunch asparagus
1 can artichoke hears, drained and quartered
jest of 1 lemon
juice of 1 lemon
½ stick butter, sliced
1 cup chicken stock or clam juice
1 lb linguine

Cook linguine in plenty of salted water until al dente.

Meanwhile heat 1-2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet until smoking. Add shrimp and shake a bit until one side is cooked. Stir shrimp and cook other side only until shrimp is just pink. Remove shrimp aside to a bowl. Melt butter in pan and add asparagus to pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes until asparagus just begin to soften. Add jest and juice of lemon along with stock or clam juice. Bring to a boil. Add shrimp and artichoke and mix well to heat through. Salt an pepper to taste.

Drain linguine and toss with shrimp mixture in a large serving platter.

Serves 6.


Seafood Alfredo
Sauce:
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. canola oil
¼ cup flour
1½ cup milk
1 tsp. dried mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced
dash nutmeg
1/4 grated Parmesan cheese

1 lb. linguine
1 red pepper, diced
1 cup frozen peas, defrosted and drained
½ lb. shrimp, peeled
½ lb scallops
½ lb calamari, cleaned and sliced into rings

Make the sauce. In a saucepan melt the butter with the oil and ass the flour. Whisk for a few minutes until smelling nutty. Add the milk, mustard and nutmeg and bring to a simmer, whisking until thick. Stir in the Parmesan cheese.

Cook the linguini in a big pot of salted water until al dente. Meanwhile, Sauté the pepper in a bit of olive oil in a skillet until just softened, about 3-5 minutes. Toss the peppers, peas and seafood into the sauce. Mix well and cook just until shrimp turn pink. Drain the linguine and tip into a large serving bowl. Pour seafood Alfredo sauce over pasta. Sprinkle with fresh parsley or Parmesan cheese if desired.

Serves 4-6.

Asian Salmon, Sesame Noodles and Broccoli

A fantastic Asian meal when Chef Julie and Thierry came to visit.  It was wonderful to be cooked for and only have to say "Yes, Chef".

Spaghetti Primavera with Tarragon Cream

½ lb. spaghetti
2 zucchini, sliced
1 red pepper, cut into ¾-inch pieces
1 orange or yellow pepper, cut into ¾-inch pieces
1 onion, finely diced
1 tsp sugar
dash red pepper flakes
½ cup half and half
1 Tbsp dried tarragon

Cook spaghetti until al-dente. Drain and toss with just a bit of canola oil. Meanwhile, in a large non-stick skillet, sauté the vegetables with a bit of olive oil for a few minutes over medium-high heat. Add the sugar and reduce heat. Continue cooking until vegetables begin to soften and brown. Salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

In batches, add half the veggies back into the skillet with half the spaghetti and stir fry. Add a dash of red pepper flakes with half the cream and tarragon. Stir the mixture until the half and half bubbles and is reduced to a tick sauce. Divide between two plates. Repeat with remaining pasta and vegetables.

Serves 4

Chicken Soup for Healing

There is apparently a lot of evidence that chicken soup is in fact medicinal. Based on first principles, I would believe this, and I have made many a soup which have produced myriad indications of healing. For whatever reason someone needs a bit of healing - try this soup. It will help - even if nobody's sick!

Chicken Soup with Roasted Butternut Squash & Collard Greens
Under construction

Cooking Orange

Pumpkin Leek Risotto1 large leek, washed, drained and diced
1 cup Arborio short-grained rice
2 eyes, eyebrows, nose and mouth of jack-o-lantern, peeled and diced ¼ inch, 2 heaping cups
1 cup light cream
1 cup canned pumpkin purée
1 cup white wine
3-4 cups chicken stock
freshly grated nutmeg
½ stick butter
½ tsp vanilla
¼ cup parmesan cheese

Sauté pumpkin in a bit of canola oil in a non-stick skillet. Meanwhile, in a separate medium pot, sauté leek in a bit of canola oil. When leek is softened and fragrant add the rice and cook 2-3 minutes. Set pumpkin aside off the heat when it has begun to soften and brown a bit.

Add the wine in ½-cup increments to the rice, stirring continuously. Let the wine boil down until spoon leaves a trail in the rice. Whisk light cream with the puréed pumpkin and stir into rice. Simmer until a spoon leaves a trail in the rice. Add the stock in ½ cup increments, stirring the rice continuously, until the rice is just al dente – use as much stock as is necessary. Add the nutmeg, butter vanilla and cheese, and stir until incorporated. Adjust consistency with additional broth to be very creamy.

Pressure Cooking Dried Beans

If you like beans, you have probably discovered canned beans. They are convenient, flavorful, fast and come in many, many varieties. Many people believe, however, that beans cooked at home from dried beans are more flavorful – and dried beans are about one third less expensive – not that beans are an expensive protein source compared to meat in any case! But cooking dried beans can use a lot more energy, increasing the cost and prep time. What to do?

Pressure cooker. Beans can be cooked quickly in a pressure cooker if they are soaked for at least 6-8 hours beforehand (they can be pressure cooked without soaking, but they will take much longer). Two to three minutes of energy in a pressure cooker is all beans need – hard to believe, but true. Lots of the cooking occurs by leaving the beans in the pressure cooker as the cooker de-pressurizes naturally – over about 15-20 minutes. So while it may take 20-30 minutes in total to cook the beans, you only use 2-4 minutes of energy to do it. And 30 minutes is not so bad for a great, healthful vegetarian bean dish.

These recipes are staples for us at home. Mark Bittman of the New York Times encouraged us in a recent lecture to cook a pot of beans each week. He is not professing that we all become vegetarians, but that we should become “eat less meat-arians”. He believes that the benefits to our health and to our agricultural resources and environment will be huge even with just a small shift to less meat. I fully agree.

Serves these stews with any bread like corn bread or flat bread.

Navy Beans Provençal2 leeks, washed and diced
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp herbes de Provence – mixed dried French herbs
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. dried Navy, white or Cannellini beans
1 quart chicken or vegetable stock
¼ cup pearl barley

2 tomatoes, diced and drained

Pick through beans and remove any foreign objects, like sticks or stones – that might hurt you. Rinse beans several times and drain. Soak beans in a large bowl full of water on the counter all day or over night. If soaking the night before, drain beans in the morning and put in a plastic bag in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Sauté leek, carrot and celery in a bit of olive oil in a pressure cooker pot until vegetables are beginning to caramelize, about 10 minutes. Add the rosemary and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Add the drained beans, stock and barley and cover pressure cooker. Don’t salt the beans before cooking – salt hardens bean shells and keeps them from cooking. Bring up to high pressure for 3 minutes and remove from heat. Let the pressure cooker de-pressurize naturally – about 20 minutes. Don’t actively release pressure rapidly because beans are likely to explode and the dish can become very mushy.

Meanwhile, sauté the tomatoes in a non-stick skillet in plenty of olive oil over very, very high heat. They should sizzle and even brown to caramelize. Stir only a few times to let the tomatoes darken and keep them from disintegrating. When pressure is reduced, remove pressure cooker lid and salt (generously) and pepper to taste. Add tomatoes and reserved liquid and cook another 5-10 minutes to let flavors meld. Adjust thickness with water if necessary.

Garbanzo Bean Pot
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 tsp dried rosemary
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. dried garbanzo beans
1 quart chicken or vegetable stock
¼ cup pearl barley

Pick through beans and remove any foreign objects, like sticks or stones – that might hurt you. Rinse beans several times and drain. Soak beans in a large bowl full of water on the counter all day or over night. If soaking the night before, drain beans in the morning and put in a plastic bag in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Sauté onion, carrot and celery in a bit of olive oil in a pressure cooker pot until vegetables are beginning to caramelize, about 10 minutes. Add the rosemary and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Add the drained beans, stock and barley and cover pressure cooker. Don’t salt the beans before cooking – salt hardens bean shells and keeps them from cooking. Bring up to high pressure for 3 minutes and remove from heat. Go work out while you let the pressure cooker de-pressurize naturally – about 20 minutes. Don’t actively release pressure rapidly because beans are likely to explode and the dish can become very mushy.

When pressure is reduced, remove lid and salt (generously) and pepper to taste. Adjust thickness with water if necessary.

Pinto Bean Stew with Greens
1 onion, finely diced
2 carrot, finely diced
2 stalks celery, finely diced
½ lb. boneless pork (from leftover roast or chops), cut in ½-inch cubes (or ¼ cup pearl barley)
1 lb. dried pinto beans
1 tsp cumin seeds
dash red pepper flakes
palmful of fresh herbs such as sage and oregano, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 cups chopped kale and/or collard greens
1 quart chicken or vegetable stock

Pick through beans and remove any foreign objects, like sticks or stones – that might hurt you. Rinse beans several times and drain. Soak beans in a large bowl full of water on the counter all day or over night. If soaking the night before, drain beans in the morning and put in a plastic bag in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Sauté onion, carrot and celery in a bit of olive oil in a pressure cooker pot until vegetables are beginning to caramelize, about 10 minutes. Add the cumin, red pepper, herbs and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Add the drained beans, stock, pork or barley, and kale and cover pressure cooker. Don’t salt the beans before cooking – salt hardens bean shells and keeps them from cooking. Bring up to high pressure for 3 minutes and remove from heat. Go work out while you let the pressure cooker de-pressurize naturally – about 20 minutes. Don’t actively release pressure rapidly because beans are likely to explode and the dish can become very mushy.

When pressure is reduced, remove lid and salt (generously) and pepper to taste. Adjust thickness with water if necessary.

Black Bean Soup
1 lb bag dried black beans
1 large onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
3 medium carrots, diced
1 tsp cumin seeds
4 cloves garlic, minced
dash red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 quart chicken or vegetable stock
1 8-oz. can tomato sauce

Pick through beans, rinse and soak beans in a big bowl of water all day long – at least 8 hours. Drain beans, rinse and drain again. Meanwhile, in a pressure cooker pot, sauté onion, celery and carrots (mirepoix) in a bit of olive oil until well softened and browned a bit, about 10 minutes. Add the cumin seeds, garlic and red pepper flakes for the last 2 minutes, cooking until fragrant. Add the beans, chili powder, cocoa powder and stock to the pot and bring to a boil. Cover pressure cooker tightly and raise pressure to high and then lower heat to maintain consistent high-pressure for 4 minutes. Remove pressure cooker from heat and let cooker reduce pressure naturally (about 15-20 minutes) – go for a swim, a walk, run on your treadmill or play your guitar. Anything to let you walk away from the pressure cooker!

When pressure is completely reduced to normal atmospheric pressure, remove lid and add the tomato sauce – never add acidic materials like tomatoes to beans before cooking as they can toughen the skins during cooking, which is not what you want for a creamy black bean soup. Adjust salt to taste and mash some of the beans or adjust with water to achieve your desired thickness.

Thai Chicken

Thierry and Julie come to visit and we prepare a great weeknight Thai chicken curry.6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into quarters
1 large onion, diced
1 orange pepper, diced
1 red chili, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1-inch fresh ginger, minced
½ tsp red pepper flakes
1 can coconut milk
1 Tbsp Thai fish sauce
2 Tbsp red Thai curry paste
2 whole star anise
1 piece cinnamon bark
1 Tbsp minced cilantro

In a deep skillet, sauté the chicken in a bit of oil until nicely browned on all sides. Set aside. Remove to a bowl. In same skillet add the onion, pepper and chili and cook until softened, about 5 minutes, adding oil as necessary. Add the garlic, ginger and pepper flakes and cook another 2-3 minutes, stirring regularly, until fragrant. Add the remaining ingredients and cook covered 15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Top with minced cilantro if desired (I do!).

Mumbai - Columbus Couldn't Have Imagined What He Was Missing

A recent trip to Mumbai revealed to me a new world Columbus couldn't have even imagined. Graced by a traditional Indian wedding in the street outside my hotel, and the hospitality of my colleagues, I experienced the energy, aspirations - and incredible flavors - of one of the largest, busiest metropolises on earth.

Dal with Whole Beans

I have been making this dish for a while before visiting Mumbai, adding the kidney beans to give the dal a bit more substance as a main course dish. In India I was happy to see (and taste!) several dal variations which had whole beans in them. You could use many other beans as well - say pinto or pink bean - to achieve a similar effect. I used curry leaves which my Indian host gave me to season the flavoring oil. You can find them in Indian grocers, but they are not absolutely necessary for this dish.

2 carrots, diced

1 onion, finely diced

1 jalapeno pepper, minced

½ tsp turmeric

¼ tsp cayenne powder

½ cup (whole or split – but skinned) red lentils

3 cups water

1 small piece cinnamon

1 star anise

2 Tbsp canola oil

1 tsp. mustard seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp. Garam Masala

4 cloves garlic, minced

½-inch piece fresh ginger, minced

1 can light red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

Sesame seeds

In a pressure cooker pot, sauté the carrot, onion and jalapeno in a bit of canola oil until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the rest of the first group of ingredients, raise heat, cover pressure cooker and bring to pressure. Cook 3 minutes and remove from heat. Meanwhile, cook the seeds and masalas in the canola oil in a small pot or pan until fragrant – 3-4 minutes, and then add the garlic and ginger. Continue cooking until the garlic and ginger soften, about another 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.

Carefully de-pressurize pressure cooker and uncover. Add the kidney beans and cook another 10 minutes or so, to meld flavors. Remove the cinnamon and star anise, salt to taste, and adjust thickness with water if necessary. Serve over rice. Top with sesame seeds.